


you could've knocked me out with a feather

by transmuted



Series: the wonder years [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Middle School, aside from that everything is very rated G, i think i curse in this like twice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-05-03
Packaged: 2018-01-21 16:59:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1557620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmuted/pseuds/transmuted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm a little worried," he explains quietly, while Jean's in the bathroom rinsing the taste of ink out of his mouth, "he's been... acting kind of strange lately." [or, where jean is the reigning king of awkward crushes]</p>
            </blockquote>





	you could've knocked me out with a feather

**Author's Note:**

> (they're all 13 / in the 8th grade. the title is from 'america's suitehearts' by fall out boy.)  
> feel free to point out any mistakes!

Jean doesn't usually make a habit of sleeping in class, but it's only been three weeks since the end of summer break so he's still reasonably within the adjustment period.

Someone's poking at his shoulder, lightly but insistent. He groans a little, blinking his eyes open. It's definitely not Marco, who shakes him when he gets like this or pulls at his collar if he's slept past the bell, making soft noises of disapproval at his 'made up adjustment nonsense'. He's expecting a teacher when he looks up, not Armin standing over his desk, books in hand.

"Jean?" Armin questions softly. Jean can feel himself scowling so he tries to pull his face into something between dead tired and nervous excitement. It falls into somewhat of a grimace but Armin's voice is clear and confident now that he's got his attention. "I don't know if you heard, but we're partners for the in-class assignment."

"M-me and you? I thought- I mean," Jean can feel his palms starting to sweat. He wipes them on his jeans, tries again. "Uh, Marco?"

Armin smiles at his confusion, silver braces giving a quick gleam against the fluorescent lighting. "Yeah, he paired off with Eren already. We seem to be the only two left."

Somewhere to his left, Jean hears Connie saying that 'paired off' is an understatement since Marco was across the room and standing in front of Eren and Armin's joined desks before Ms. Ral managed to finish giving directions. He's also saying something about how Marco probably bailed to get away from Jean's obnoxious snoring, since everyone else just partnered up with the person sitting next to them, when he whips his head around to find Marco sitting in Armin's desk. Jean glares a hole in the side of his face until he looks up from his notes, then mouths at him, 'you fucking traitor'. Marco beams back in response.

Armin slides into the desk next to his and starts flipping through their world history book with one hand and pushing the bangs out of his face with the other. He's talking about the key differences between neanderthals and homo sapiens, things Jean remembers distantly through his tired haze. There's a gleam in his eyes as he talks about what he's extrapolated from the text, an undercurrent of excitement in his voice that makes Jean's heartbeat pick up. He wonders what he could do to make Armin's eyes gleam like that when they're focused on  _him_.

"Jean?" Armin is waving a small hand in front of his face. "Hey, are you okay? You spaced out for a minute." He's leaning in, probably getting ready to shake his shoulder when Jean jumps back, trying to get his pulse under control.

"I'm fine," Jean says louder than he means to, saliva dribbling out of his mouth with the effort. There's enough saliva on his hand after he slaps it over his mouth to suspect he'd been drooling this whole time. In front of Armin.  _Because_  of Armin, too busy staring to remember how to perform basic motor function.

Armin roots around Marco's desk until he pulls out a wad of Kleenex. Pulling Jean's wet hand away, he hesitantly dabs at the spit clinging to his chin with a sympathetic smile. 

"Did you just get your braces tightened?" At Jean's blush, he continues, "Don't feel bad, I drool all the time when mines get tightened too. It's totally normal."

"Yeah," Jean squeaks out, face still impossibly red.

He thinks about trying to signal Marco (or someone, anyone) to mercy kill him, but he's still finding it difficult to take his eyes off of Armin.

-

Jean doesn't understand anything. 

He's known Armin for almost five years, and they've been more than acquaintances for the past two, making an easy friendship over the lunch period they share every other day, when Eren and Mikasa's differs from theirs. Things between them used to be  _normal_  but since school started again things have been weird. Jean has been weird, more specifically.

Like, before he used to be able to look at Armin without the sound of his heart thundering in his ears. There was even a time he could form coherent sentences and have an actual conversation without sweating and stuttering his way through it.

Armin probably thinks he's a freak. Not that Jean can blame him when he's been switching between tripping up the stairs over the sound of Armin's airy laughter and taking the long way to his classes, avoiding Armin and the embarrassing situations that are bound to follow completely.

-

He's in the middle of scribbling in the margins of his math notes, dotting the i in Armin's name with a heart before writing Kirschstein in loopy cursive letters. 

"Jean." Marco sighs, which means he's probably been trying to get his attention for a while. He jerks his head in acknowledgment and Marco continues, "Have you talked to him yet?" 

"I talk to Armin all the time." He replies, intently focused on his artwork.

Marco scoffs. "Yeah, stammer at him, more like. You've gotta tell him how you feel." 

They've talked about this, but he doesn't get why he has to tell Armin about any of it. He doesn't get  _how_  he'll be able to tell Armin anything unless it's something utterly lame like leaving a 'do you like me?' note in his locker because he can barely maintain eye contact these days. 

"It would explain why you've been so creepy lately," Marco says, easily following his train of thought. "Really, Jean, you haven't exactly been... subtle."

"I-" Jean starts to protest, looking affronted. 

"You drooled through your shirt."

He visibly deflates and goes back to drawing, this time little doodles of them holding hands, surrounded by tiny symmetrical hearts.

"I think Armin likes you too, so please, put yourself out of your misery."

Before Jean can even react to  _that_ , Armin appears in front of their table, seemingly out of nowhere, and pulls up a chair that brings him way too close to Jean's notebook. He looks worriedly between it and Armin's smiling face as he and Marco talk about their new biology teacher.

"Have you met Hanji yet?" Armin asks, turning his full attention to Jean. 

He looks at the page one last time before he makes the only decision he can.

-

So.

Eating the paper, subsequently choking on it, and being dragged to the nurse wasn't his  _only_  option. He sees that now. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, or whatever. 

But it does get Armin to pull him down the hallway from the library to the nurse's office, hand wrapped firmly around his, so he doesn't exactly regret it. 

The nurse advises him not to eat anymore of his school supplies and gives him a mirror so that he can pick out the bits of paper still stuck in his braces. 

Before she can send them away, Armin asks if he can get full check up. "I'm a little worried," he explains quietly, while Jean's in the bathroom rinsing the taste of ink out of his mouth, "he's been... acting kind of strange lately. Maybe you could check his temperature?" 

"I can't give him a check up, he'll have to see his pediatrician for that, but," she adds indulgently as Armin begins to frown "I can certainly take his temperature."

Jean overhears from behind the cracked door of the tiny bathroom and feels his face go hot while he gurgles the water in his mouth. He wonders what exactly Armin has noticed, chest fluttering, and when he started paying attention to him.

The thermometer reads 98.8 when Jean pops it out of his mouth a couple minutes later- a clean bill of health, or the closest he's going to get to one in this office.

He drags his feet on the walk back to the library, desperately thinking of something to say while they're alone for once. He opens his mouth to say something to fill the silence before he loses his nerve. Armin beats him to it.

"We're okay, right?"

Jean notices that he's chewing his bottom lip, eyes fixed on the ground as they continue to make their way back, slower than before.

"Definitely okay. More than okay, even. W-why do you ask?"

Armin's fidgeting, wringing his hands, and knots are forming in Jean's stomach. He doesn't ever want to be the reason Armin looks like that.

"Well," he starts, voice wavering. "I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to you since that whole thing before summer break, and you've been different lately. Even Eren's noticed." He lets out a peal of laughter that falls utterly flat and shrugs, "I thought I'd at least have until high school before my friends started to drift away."

Three steps behind Armin, as always, but Jean gets it now. He came out a couple months ago, on one of the last days of school and with the idiotic way Jean's been acting, he thinks that Jean's trying to distance himself or something. How fucking ironic.

"T-That's not it at all, Armin, I promise. Of course we're friends." He tilts Armin's head up until they're looking at each other, "I wouldn't ditch you."

Armin breathes out a loud exhale, clearly relieved. 

This is it. Now is the moment. Like, right now. Jean's going to do it, he's going to say  _something_  or move in to close the space between his lips and Armin's parted mouth.

"Actually, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about." Jean get out less than a second before the final bell rings. 

Kids come pouring out of classrooms, crowding the lockers around them, running one another over to start their weekends. 

Eren somehow ends up behind Armin without either of them noticing until he drapes an arm over Armin's shoulder. He looks at their hands, still locked, and raises a confused eyebrow. Before his frown can fully set in, Jean drops Armin's hand. 

"We'll talk later, okay?"

He doesn't stick around long enough to hear Eren practically yelling, "What in the fuck was  _that_  about?" in his wake.

-

He thinks about Armin all weekend. That soft blonde hair and those bright blue eyes, the way he purses his mouth when he's concentrating. He wonders what would have happened if he'd been brave enough to kiss him. Maybe he'd be kissing him right now.

On Sunday night he boots up his home computer to send Armin a Facebook message- he did say they'd talk later didn't he? If only he knew what he wanted to say. After twenty minutes of typing hesitantly then backspacing, he chickens out. Clicking through all of Armin's tagged photos, unsurprised yet vaguely annoyed at how many pictures Eren is in with him, his jaw clenches. He stops on one Mikasa had taken of them asleep; Armin's head resting on Eren's shoulder, their hands entwined. Jean runs a restless hand through his hair. It snags at the top, a little shaggy where he hasn't cut recently.

The clock on his nightstand blinks 8:03 at him after he's done all his homework. He flops backward on his bed anyway and stares at the ceiling.

What if he's too late?

-

These are the last few weeks of warm weather before the fall weather really sets in, or so Coach Shadis says right before he's herding their gym class outside first thing in the morning. Jean thinks he just wants to better avoid getting hit by the dodge balls Sasha and Connie are wheeling out. 

He hates having gym first period. The only reason he didn't change his schedule on the first day of school is standing by the back entrance of the school in a pair of blue regulation gym shorts, pulling his hair into a small ponytail while he talks to Eren. Averting his eyes, Jean tries not to stare at the sliver of Armin's waist on display where his t-shirt rode up. He hopes he isn't drooling again. 

He's about to walk over and ask Armin if he wants to walk home together after school today, when Coach puts a hand on his shoulder and blows his whistle.

"Kirschstein, Jaeger, pick your teams!"

Jean makes a confused noise at the same time that Eren chooses Armin as his first teammate. This morning is off to a magnificent start.

In the end they both have pretty decent teams. Mikasa isn't in their class so it's anyone's game, really. 

Usually putting Jean and Eren on opposite teams makes for a pretty aggressive game of, well, anything. But Jean probably could not care less if he tried today. He spins around hoping to spot an easy target- so that this can be over before a bell interrupts them again- and spots Armin, who's back is facing him. He starts to lower his ball and turn toward where he'd seen Thomas standing last, when a ball smacks hard into the center of his face, sending him crashing to the ground.

He comes to with Armin kneeling over him, worry etched all over his features. His head blots out the sun, reflected light making his hair shimmer. Eren is alongside Coach Shadis at the edges of his vision, frown in place with- mild concern bleeding through?

"Jean, hey," Armin starts softly, a hand pressed to his cheek. Armin's hand is on his cheek. Armin is touching him. "Are you okay? Can you walk?" he rushes out, pulling his hand away to hold 3 digits in front of Jean's face, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"I... I- you're beautiful," Jean slurs out, blood marring the dopey grin he's wearing.

Armin blushes in the same second that Eren rolls his eyes and stands up.

"He's fine."

"You-you probably have a concussion. I'll bring you to the nurse's office."

"He's fine," Eren yells over to the rest of their class, who'd been ordered to give them space.

Armin helps him up incrementally until he's finally on his feet. Eren takes over then, slinging Jean's arm over his shoulder. 

"It's okay, Armin. I've got this." he says, starting to walk away before Armin can protest. "You've got a test next period, plus it's my fault anyway."

Once they're back inside of the locker room, Eren leans him against his locker and disappears around the corner. He returns seconds later with a fistful of tissues that he shoves at Jean; this is the only apology he's getting. After he's plugged a few into his nose to keep the blood from dripping on his shirt and they've both changed out of their gym clothes, Eren pulls him off the wall he's leaning on. "Come on," he says, steering them towards the nurse's office. 

It turns out that Jean does not have a concussion. He does, however, have a horrible headache and pain radiating from the inside of his mouth where his braces have scraped it bloody. The nurse gives him an ice pack and two hall passes about half an hour later and they leave her office, breaking away from each other to go to classes that are in different directions. Eren apparently changes his mind and decides to follow Jean instead. 

"You really like Armin, huh?" he asks loudly, causing Jean to stop in his tracks and turn around.

Okay, yeah, maybe he's not so subtle after all. We're all works in progress.

"Yeah," Jean croaks, throat suddenly dry. "You wanna fight about it?"

Eren huffs in annoyance, opening his mouth to say something then closing it just as fast, rolling his eyes instead. "As if I wouldn't kick your ass, Kirschstein," his eyes go wide and focused, like he's trying to read Jean's body language. "So, this isn't a joke or anything? You're not messing with him, are you?"

"You know I'm not like that."

And Eren does. They may have only stopped actively hating each other last year, but they've known each other for as long as he's known Armin. Eren knows Jean isn't cruel, just like Jean knows Eren cares about things a little more than he'd like to admit. 

Eren nods, as satisfied with the answer as he's going to get, "Then fucking ask him out already." He heads off in the direction of his next class, swiftly turns around after a beat, adding, "I still think you're an asshole, but hey, it's a free country. Armin's allowed to have shit taste in guys, I guess. But after he says yes, we've got a few things to talk about. Me and you and Mikasa."

-

Jean finds Armin by his locker at the end of the day. He took off almost sprinting from his classroom after the bell to get there before Eren and Mikasa, and he's in luck. Armin's standing alone, leisurely packing his backpack. Jean stops about thirty feet behind him to calm his breathing and saunters up beside him leaning against one of the lockers on his left.

Now or never.

"Hey, Armin," Jean tries to sound casual, but his voice rises a couple octaves on Armin's name.

He looks up and smiles, mouth full of metal. "Jean! Hi, how are you feeling?"

Nervous.

"I'm okay. Turns out Eren doesn't throw as hard as he thinks he does."

Armin smirks at that and Jean summons up the confidence to continue. "I- Armin, I was wondering... I mean, uh, would you maybe, possibly-" he clears his throat. "Do you- Do you want to go to out with me?" Armin is looking up at him with a soft expression Jean's never seen on his face before so it's a few seconds before he realizes.

"Wait, no, I," he almost yells in frustration. The urge to cover his face, walk out of the school and straight into incoming traffic is a strong one, but he takes a deep breath and starts again, "Do you want to go out with me?" He's rubbing at the back of his neck and he can feel himself blushing, but maybe that's okay because Armin is too.

"Yes." Armin answers immediately.

"I mean out. Like... as in a date. Out on a date," Jean clarifies. "Y-You want to go on a date with me?" he asks again, quieter, dumbfounded.

Armin sighs, fond if a bit exhausted. He stands on his toes to give Jean a quick peck on the cheek. "Yes. I, Armin Arlert, will accompany you, Jean Kirschstein, on a date."

"I-okay." Jean smiles wide, a rarity since the day his orthodontist put his braces in. 

Armin shuts his locker, slings his backpack over his shoulders, and reaches for Jean's hand.

"Okay."

**Author's Note:**

> the scene where jean eats the paper he doodled on is based on this [text post](http://erejearmin.tumblr.com/post/80818387568/middle-school-au-when-jean-is-all-absorbed) by erejearmin  
> [finger pistols] thanks for reading! any feedback is appreciated :)  
> (this is probably going to turn into a series of one shots about awkward brace faces btw)


End file.
